The Masks We Wear
by Dark Kaneanite
Summary: Two men, you'd never know if you weren't told. / Based on an RP with RennaRed.  I own nothing, that includes the men and most of the plot.  :D


_A/N: Based on an RP with ReenaRed, it's different, but it works. Oh boy does it work. :D So enjoy dear readers._

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He had no idea that a chance meeting with Mark Calaway would end up the way it did. Barbs had been flung and in the end he found himself staring up into the cool green eyes basically touting that he was going to get Calaways' long time 'bitch' away from the 'E.

"_Well then, call him. If I play my cards right I might convince him to come to TNA. That'd be a welcome bonus."_

"_Good luck, Glenn's a loyal man. He knows where his paychecks are coming from, but you're more than welcome to try and win him away." Mark had shook his head with a laugh, further adding to his ire._

"_I don't need luck, money talks Calaway."_

Mark had laughed at him again and walked away, leaving him to ponder his next move. If he didn't go talk to Glenn then Mark would consider him a coward and if there was one thing that Eric Bischoff wasn't, it was a coward. A quick call to the front desk of the hotel got him the room number and after a shot or two just to calm his nerves he started up towards the fourth floor.

The doors along the hall were spaced widely, speaking of large airy rooms and it was nearly towards the end of the plushly carpetted hall that the door he was searching for was located. Eric stood outside the door for a moment , straightening his tie and the cuffs on his sports jacket before raising his hand to knock. At first there was no noise from the other side and Eric had the fleeting feeling of foolishness shoot through him. The alien feeling disappeared however when the door swung open and Glenn stood in the door in a black button down shirt and jeans.

"Bischoff?"

The breathed question did little to pull Eric's eyes away from their slow persual of the tall man. Grugdingly he had to admit that Glenn looked better than he had the last time he'd seen the man; his eyes not shadowed by the make up and shining a warm brown as they gazed curiously back at him. Words warred on his tongue before he managed to spit something out.

"I see that time hasn't treated you too horribly bad, judging from your gut I'd say you're living pretty high on the hog."

A light blush covered Glenn's cheeks and it threw Eric for loop, this wasn't the Glenn he was used to seeing. That Glenn had been a monster in all senses of the word, growling and snarling when people got too close save for those precious few he decided to let near him. This Glenn seemed to be some mellowed out school teacher living out his retirement in quiet solitude. With a head shake Eric smirked; reaching out to poke at the protruding stomach.

"Very high on the hog it seems."

"It's not my fault Vince can afford to pay his talent." Glenn snapped as he slapped his hand away; the action making a slow smile spread across Eric's face.

"Funny you should mention the old bastard. I've come to offer you a place in TNA."

"No Thank You."

The reply was curt and to the point and if Eric hadn't of moved his foot in between the door and the frame he would have had the heavy oaken panel slammed in his face.

"C'mon Jacobs, you can't honestly prefer being forever enshrouded in Mark's shadow? Doesn't it bother you to know that without him you'd be nothing more than a footnote in WWE's history books..."

"I've got no gripe against Vince or the WWE, they've treated me well over the years."

Glenn scowled down at him and Eric had to hide the fact that the threatening look was starting to cause a reaction that not many knew he had. If they had he was sure that he wouldn't be as feared and revered as he was to this day. Forcing himself to smirk, he shook his head; clicking his tongue.

"Jacobs, Jacobs, Jacobs. Well? I hardly think that being put into story lines where you're mocked and portrayed to have raped a corpse, forced to do a 'Spin-a-rooni' and left crying over an empty coffin is considered being treated well. Face it Jacobs ever since Wrestlemania 15, you've been nothing more than the big red baby brother of the Undertaker; forced to take a back seat to his career, and while I have a preference for "big red retard" myself; I feel you can be so much more in TNA."

"Right. You have a monster in TNA, his name is Abyss. Go make him into something, go do anything as long as it takes you away from here; you're wasting my time like you're wasting his talent."

"Oooo, the neutered kitty still has his claws I see." Eric snickered; his eyes gleaming as he watched Glenn's darken, the molten depths pulling him in and making him forget his orginal reason for being there.

"Bischoff I'm warning you."

"I'm really scared Jacobs, I mean how can I take a man seriously when he allows himself to be jobbed to Rey Mysterio over and over again? Kane's funeral dirge is playing, bury him with what little shred of dignity he has left and come work for me. I can hand you the sun and and moon on a platter if that is your wish, you can have title shots galore. You'll have the fame and reverence with TNA that Vince and his failing creation have neglected to give you..."

With a growl and movement that was quicker than Eric realized, his tie was wrapped around one of Glenn's meaty fists and he was hauled into the large, suddenly irate man's room; the door slammed behind him and before he realized what was happening he found himself pressed against it. His breath was literally stolen from him, his eyes wide as his mind processed slowly what was happening to him. Glenn glowered as he hissed; his warm breath puffing against Eric's face and further reminding him that it had been a while since he had been manhandled in such a way.

"Kane...and his funeral dirge are under my control and until I feel Kane has no more to give he'll still be in the ring. And even if I did leave the 'E I sure has hell wouldn't go to TNA, you and I haven't had the best dealings in the past and I'd be worried about whether or not I was getting screwed or not."

"The past is just that Jacobs, the past. We've both matured, you're no longer the threatening presence you used to be, and I'm...well I'm still the same man I was, but I can always use another large man around the back stage, I can package you and Abyss as a Father, long lost son team."

"No." Glenn released his hold and moved back, taking a seat on the edge of the bed; his attention else where as he dismissed Eric. "Now unless your old age has addled your memory, you can show yourself the way out."

For a split second Eric just stood there; his mind in shock at the fact that anyone would treat him in such a disrespectful manner; but then the old feeling of being at some else's mercy welled up inside and he sucked in a sharp breath, intending to see how far he could push Glenn in the hopes of getting another fleeting dose of the treatment that had him starting to harden in his slacks. Schooling his face in a contemptuous snarl he strode over and gripped Glenn's chin in his hand and forced his head around; trembling at the barely controlled anger that was masking Glenn's face.

"Give one good reason why I should listen to the five-star jobber of the WWE. You should be on your knees begging me for this generous offer I've laid at your feet." He smirked as he let his hand fall away, inspecting his nails before speaking again. "But then, those that the most popular in the ring are the ones that base their gimmicks on themselves, so I guess Big Red Retard isn't too far off. I'll repeat my offer, slowly this time so you can follow me-"

His derogatory tirade was cut off by Glenn grabbing his tie again and yanking; the silk tightening to the point of choking and making him whimper silently as he waited to see what Glenn would do next. As graceful as a cat Glenn rose and stared down; tugging on the tie again until the lack of oxygen made Eric's knees go weak and he fell down heavily on them, looking up at the towering man with barely disguised lust at the shift of power. _Yes God please, I need this..._

"I get on my knees for no man Bischoff." The growled tenor of Glenn's voice made him shiver hard and he wet his dry lips as Glenn continued; seemingly unaware of what he was doing to Eric's body. "Kane might have been me in my younger years, but I really would be 'The Big Red Retard' if I jumped ship to the show that consists of all of Vince's sloppy seconds."

The blow to TNA's roster made Eric hiss, and he struggled until he wrenched his tie free from Glenn's grip; glaring as he put on his most condescending tone of voice and haughty expression.

"That's funny coming from you Jacobs, 'sloppy seconds'. But then I guess you'd know better than anyone."

"And yet you were still trying to get me to jump ship." Glenn furrowed his brow and fixed his gaze onto Eric's face, speaking slowly as if he was trying to work through a hard calculus problem. "There's something else you're wanting..."

"You're imagining things, what could I possibly want from you." The words were breathy as Eric's heart started a thunderous tattoo against his sternum.

Glenn got back up, the light in his eyes changed as he moved close and towered over him; his voice low as he once more grabbed Eric's tie but this time lightly fingering the fine silk.

"You tell me Bischoff. You come to my door, lay your offer at my feet, insult me and yet don't leave even though I basically told you that you could take your offer and stick it up your ass." Glenn fell silent and Eric couldn't help the light color that stole up his cheeks as the churning chocolate gaze bore into his own; holding him captive without the use of chains or rope. "You're turned on."

The sentence was said matter of factly with no hint of disdain or disgust and that in itself made Eric stare up at the taller man. His eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips his mind racing to come up with some comeback but in the end he opted to just shoot straight.

"Yes; so what."

"Nothing. I merely find it curious."

Glenn released Eric's tie and stepped back; his head tilted to the right and reminding Eric eerily of the past when Glenn had to do that to make an impact. The tension in the room was palpable and it set Eric's teeth on edge, he wasn't used to someone knowing about his kink but not putting anything into action. The minutes wore on and slowly Eric started to get irate; it was obvious that he was going to have to take the reigns of the situation if he wanted anything to happen.

"You have no idea how disappointed I am in you." Eric grumped; his walls slamming back into place as he glared up at Glenn. "I always thought you were a smart man, but apparently all those years of playing a soft headed jobber have replaced what little brains you had in that giant bald melon of yours. So I'm going to be magnanimous and lay this out for you. I want you. Right now, at your worst."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Wh-why?"

"Eric, I won't be party to this."

"To what?"

"To this deception of yourself. Had I known what was happening I never would have laid my hands on you."

"A-are you apologizing for being manly?" Eric laughed bitterly. "If anyone is sorry it's me for thinking that you actually had something worth bringing to TNA."

"Your games won't work Eric. You're trying to rile me up, to make me loose my cool again so you can get what you want."

Gently Glenn placed a hand on Eric's shoulder; his brown orbs once swirling with anger and held in check lust now pitying him as he stared him down. With a shrug Eric dislodged Glenn's hand, practically snarling; that bald ignoramus knew nothing about him; NOTHING, and he wasn't going to. With the nastiest scowl Eric could muster he curled his lips contemptuously and moved over to the door; opening it and stepping part way through, turning back long enough to stare at the tall man.

"Like I said before, I want nothing from you Jacobs, and you are quit mistaken if you thought differently..." The hard words died on his tongue and he stopped; unable to keep up the pretence under the concerned gaze that Glenn kept locked on his face. "I-I; look, playing games with people is what I do. It's how I work. I don't know how to..." he ran his hand through his hair shakily; trying to come up with the words that would express his feelings without making him seem weak. "That's why I need this. I need-to not be in control. At least for a while. Otherwise I play my games and mess with everybody around me and in the end I just self destruct. Why do you think WCW went down in flames? I just... "Eric sighed and leaned against the door frame;muttering lowly, "I don't want to fuck it up again, I feel myself about to send TNA into the ground and I need someone to take some control from me, at least for a little bit anyways."

Glenn stared back, honestly at a lost for what to do with Eric's confession. It wasn't like him to voluntarrily give up his power to anyone, and to hear that he craved the feeling of powerlessness made Glenn blink a few times before managing to get his mouth and brain and work on the dame wavelength.

"Then why come to me? Surely there is someone in your employ that can help you."

"Of course there is." Eric snapped, angry at the shift once more in the dynamics of the situation. "But I didn't come searching you out for that, I came because your precious 'big brother' Mark said you wouldn't jump ship and you know how I like to prove people wrong. The rest was just a bonus...or rather could have been a bonus if you weren't so damned observant and so..urgh, soft."

"I'm not soft, I just don't play games."

"Games? How am I playing games, I just told you my biggest weakness."

The incredulousness in Eric's voice made Glenn laugh and he bristled, ready to rip into the bald buffoon but his words turned into a flustered yelp as he was shoved back out into the hall and the door closed partway on him; Glenn's amused face staring at him as he spoke.

"When you're done acting like a spoiled brat and playing games then maybe I'll indulge you. Until then, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."

His mouth worked wordlessly as Glenn shut the door; the deep tenor of his laughter reaching him easily. He contemplated banging on the door and demanding being let back in but as he raised his hand he realized that in a backhanded way Glenn _was_ giving him what he wanted. With a smirk Eric turned and headed back towards the elevators; knowing that his game had finally come across someone worthy of his time and energy. As he boarded the elevator car he thought about getting Mark something as a thank you gift for his unknowing assistance.


End file.
